MONEY MAN: Landing free agent pitcher John Lackey could be very expensive for the Mets. Photo: Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS — Remember when this was going to be a free-agent market in which teams scrounged for nickels and dimes to sign players. Well, the Mets are wondering what happened to that market.

The early agreements have not helped the Mets as they try to fill several areas of need, notably the rotation and catching.

Starting pitchers with red-flag injury histories, Tim Hudson and Randy Wolf, signed for three years at nearly $30 million, and Brad Penny, released during the season last year, was given a pretty strong one-year base of $7.5 million.

This hurts the Mets in a variety of ways. They never talked to Wolf about anything more than a two-year concept, and now they have to face that pitchers who fall in that secondary tier who interest them — Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis — are going to cost more than expected.

And the price for better pitchers will go higher than that, with Joel Pineiro looking for four years and John Lackey more than that.

Lackey clearly is the class of this field, and the Mets now are considering a strategy in which they would pay the big price on Lackey then fill their other needs, specifically in left field, at a low cost. However, the Mets have been hoping that Lackey falls in a price range somewhere between what Derek Lowe (four years, $60 million) and A.J. Burnett (five years, $82.5 million) received last year.

However, an agent who is being kept apprised of this market said he expects Lackey to sign for no less than $90 million. Even Minaya acknowledged “the top guys in this class are not going to compare themselves to guys in this class, but previous classes.” Translation: Lackey is better than Burnett and will demand more.

Will the Mets go there?

It could matter if there is a bidding war for Lackey’s services. The Angels want to keep him. In addition, an agent with pitchers in this marketplace said the Mariners, as they did already with Chone Figgins, want to add players they like and, if possible, at the same time detract from and hurt their AL West nemesis, the Angels. So expect Seattle to be in on Lackey.

And the Mets also will have to decide how far to extend for their clear No. 1 catching choice, Bengie Molina. The Mets are hoping to bring Molina in at no more than two years at $12 million. However, inferior catchers such Ivan Rodriguez and Brian Schneider already have signed two-year contracts, and Yorvit Torrealba appeared close behind. None of those catchers received near the $6 million Molina would receive from the Mets. But Molina might ask if this group was given two-years deals why should he not get three?

The Mets were expected to extend an offer to Molina last night in an attempt to intensify the process. But Minaya was not optimistic about getting something done before the Winter Meetings conclude today.

However, he was insisting no panic and that he would continue to shop for needs, including staying connected with top left field free agents Jason Bay and Matt Holliday — though signing either of them was doubtful.

***

A Mets official admitted last night that, as expected, season-ticket renewals have been slow in the wake of the poor finish and slow offseason. “They’re in wait-and-see mode,” the official said.

***

Jose Reyes will get a chance to show off his progress from hamstring tendon surgery next Tuesday when he attends the Mets’ annual children’s holiday party at Citi Field. Jeff Francoeur has volunteered to be Santa Claus this year.